Up in the Attic

by

Alien Ant Farm

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In 2005, Alien Ant Farm got together to record their third proper album with new guitartist Joe Hill (replacing Terry Corso, who joined Powerman 5000) in tow, and with Incubus-producer Jim Wirt calling the shots. That album became "Third Draft," which unforunately didn't see the light of day in '05, mainly due to a fallout with Geffen Records. Well, Alien Ant Farm are back once again with a new album, "Up In The Attic," on a new record label, and with a new bassist as well.

Well, "Third Draft" fans might be a bit disappointed to find that "Up In The Attic" is, save for one new song, the exact same thing. Not that it's a bad thing. "Third Draft" is/was a tough album to come by, and it's great, but for those who do have it, this release is a bit bland, especially considering the new track, "Forgive And Forget," really isn't all that special. Regardless of what you call the album, it's definitely up there as some of Alien Ant Farm's best material. Basically, it's a combination of the slickness of "ANThology" and the experimentation of "TruANT." "Around The Block" is this album's "Movies," while "Lord Knows" and "Crickets" show the more laid-back, funky style of the previous album. "She's Only Evil" is probably the best of the album. A mainly acoustic, chilled out catchy little song that closes out the album beautifully.

"Up In The Attic," or "Third Draft," may not be adding anything new to the band's sound, but it's a solid effort that confirms they still have relevancy, long after their "One-Hit-Wonder" status has faded. It's also an album worth hearing, as it is the last recorded with original bassist, Tye Zamora, who pulled a Rivers Cuomo, in leaving rock for college. Tye was a big part of the AAF sound, so this last round is something all fans need to hear. In fact, this is really an album anyone who likes Alien Ant Farm can appreciate.

I have very mixed feelings about this album. I have been an Alien Ant Farm fan for awhile now, and 'Anthology' and 'Truant' are two of my favorite albums. Although 'Up In The Attic' contains some of Alien Ant Farm's best work, it also contains some of the worst.

The band's style has changed considerabley since 'Truant', which is probably due to a slight lineup change. Terry Corso, guitarist on 'Anthology' and 'Truant', left the band a few years back and was replaced by Joe Hill, who was the guitarist for 'Up In The Attic'. Joe Hill's fresh influence seems to have had positive and bad negative on the band's music.

As I mentioned before, this album contains some of Alien Ant Farm's best songs. The songs I was referring to were 'Around The Block', 'San Sebastian', and 'Getting Closer'. In my opinion, these songs rank up there with songs like 'Glow' and 'Movies'. The other songs that I would rank as above average (but not quite as good as the first three I mentioned) on this album are 'What I Feel Is Mine', 'Forgive & Forget' and 'Crickets'.

Next I come to the songs that I have mixed feelings about. 'Supreme Lifestyle' is an acoustic song that has a great melody, but just doesn't cut it as far as lyrics are conerned. 'Consti2tion' is song that just feels akward. The song is done with a ska-style guitar, which doesn't really fit it, and corny lyrics. I believe it's supposed to be a throw back to the song 'Never Meant' from thier last album, 'Truant'. 'Never Meant' was an excellent song, but the sequel leaves much to be desired. The song 'Sleepwalker' is a song about the death of the lead singer's suicidal friend. Although the song is powerful, the lyrics are straight forward, which is strange for Alien Ant Farm, as their lyrics are usually very crpytic. The lyrics in this song are so straight and to the point, that it doesn't reflect multi-layered vibe that a majority of their other songs have. And then there's the song, 'She's Only Evil'. This song would have been a great song except for one line that is so poorly written it ruins the whole song: "beyond the basement, there lives a girl there, she's got a face and a lot of hair". Seriously, that is one of the worst lines I have ever heard, specifically the second part of it. And because that line opens the song, it also sets the mood for the song, which is not a good one. It's a shame because the rest of the song is excellent.

And now we come to the songs that just suck. I was suprised to find how many songs I didn't like on this album, because I loved every song from their last two albums. But alas, the following songs just really didn't rub me the right way: 'It Could Happen', 'Lord Knows', 'State Of Emergency'. 'It Could Happen' is a decent song up until the pre-chorus, where the over-the-top drum solo comes off as sloppy and irratic rather than impressive. It really ruins the song. 'Lord Knows' and 'State Of Emergency' simply bore me to tears.

All in all, I do not regret buying this album, and I would recommend it to any Alien Ant Farm fan. I just wish that the band could have written and recorded a few new songs to replace the ones that are less than impressive.